The present disclosure relates to an atomisation system for a rotary atomiser and a corresponding method of operation.
In modern painting installations for the painting of motor vehicle bodies, for the most part—with the exception of the so-called box concept—a plurality of paint booths, in which painting robots execute various painting operations, are arranged one behind the other along a painting line. So, for example, in a first paint booth, the interior of the individual motor vehicle bodies can be coated with a primer. In the next paint booth, the outer surfaces of the motor vehicle body can then be coated with the primer. Next, a dryer then follows, in which the primer layer applied onto the motor vehicle body dries, before a base coat is then applied onto the inner surfaces of the motor vehicle body in a further paint booth. The outer surfaces of the motor vehicle bodies are then coated with two base coat layers in two consecutive paint booths one after the other (“wet-on-wet”). Alternatively, there is also the possibility however, that initially the outer surfaces and then the inner surfaces are coated with the base coat. After the application of the base coat layers, a clear coat is then initially applied onto the inner surfaces and then onto the outer surfaces of the motor vehicle body in two consecutive paint booths. Finally, the motor vehicle body painted in this manner is then dried in a dryer. Furthermore, there is a so-called 3-wet process, in which the previously mentioned drying steps can be omitted.
The coating of the motor vehicle body with the various coating agents (primer, base coat, clear coat) in the consecutive paint booths conventionally takes place by means of multi-axial painting robots or painting machines (e.g. roof machines, side machines) which, as application devices have a rotary atomiser, the rotary atomisers being adapted in the various paint booths to the coating material used and the incidental painting operation. So, for example, for interior painting rotary atomisers with a different bell cup are used than in the case of exterior painting. This has the consequence that, for the complete painting of a motor vehicle body, a plurality of paint booths with different rotary atomisers and the associated application technology are required, which is associated with a high outlay in terms of installation engineering.
A further disadvantage of the individual adaptation of the rotary atomiser to the respective painting operations (interior painting, exterior painting or metallic painting) lies in the high operating costs and the expensive storage.
The same problem also applies in the case of coatings in industry in general and in the automotive supply industry, where attachment parts (e.g. bumpers, fuel tank caps, mirror housings, etc.) are painted.
Accordingly, there is a need to reduce the outlay in terms of installation engineering in the case of the painting of motor vehicle bodies.